Heel construction



May 2, 1944. R. P. ALLEN HEEL CONSTRUCTION Filed 1941 Patented May 2, 1944 HEEL CONSTRUCTION Raymond P. Allen, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application (lictober 2, 1941, Serial No. 413,281

3 Claims.

This invention relates to heel constructions and heel lifts, and is especially useful in the manufacture of ladies shoes.

In the manufacture of ladies shoes heretofore it has been customary to provide a wear-resisting heel lift of leather or rubber over the tread face of the heel block and over the inwardly turned margins of the cloth or other covering of the heel. The area of the heel lift is relatively small and the unit pressure thereon in use is relatively great, and the rubber heel lift has been found to spread under pressure beyond the margins of the heel block. It has been proposed to overcome this by stiffening the material of the heel lift but this has not been entirely satisfactory because of the consequent reduction in cushioning properties.

It has been found that fastening nails readily tear the lift unless anchoring means for the nails is provided. Due to the fact that the heel blocks are non-uniform in shape and dimensions so that the heel lift must be trimmed or buffed at its margins to correspond thereto it has been found desirable for the nail anchorage to employ a metal plate smaller in area than the tread face of the heel block so that the plate will not be exposed at the margins by such trimming or buffing. This, however, has the disadvantage of providing a marginal zone of rubber around the margins which is not supported against spreading under the weight of the wearer. Such spreading under load has caused relative movement between the margin-s of the heel block covering and the margins of the attaching face of the heel lift which has tended to wear such covering or to loosen it or expel it from the joint at the portion covered by the margins of the lift in its alternate spreading and contracting movements in use.

The present invention aims to overcome the foregoing and other difiiculties and to provide an improved heel lift.

Principal objects of the invention are to provide protection against wear of the heel block covering, to provide for resisting the effects of relative sliding movement of the heel lift and adjoining parts, and to provide for maintaining the product in good condition.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

Of the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a heel block and a heel lift illustrating and embodying the invention, part of the heel block being broken away and shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a view of the attaching face of the heel lift.

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the lift, taken on line 33 of Fig. 2'.

In accordance with the invention particles of material are interposed between the attaching face of the heel lift and the covering material of the heel block in a manner to avoid entirely or reduce excessive wear of the covering on the heel block as a result of abrasion and to reduce friction tending to expel the inturned margins of the covering from the joint. The particles conveniently may be adhered to the attaching face of the heel lift prior to application of the latter to the heel block. The particles preferably should be of such size and form as to be only partially embedded in the adhesive material, so that the particles themselves may function, at least in part, as a support between the heel lift and the covering material of the heel block. Yieldability of the particles is desirable, preferably by virtue of softness of the particles themselves, as in the case of soft fibers such as flock, although in some cases some bodily yielding movement of the particles, permitted by the flexibility of the adhesive material, may be utilized to obtain the desired result of yieldability. While the particles may be of flock as hereinbefore mentioned, the use of other materials is not precluded. For example, particles of cork or wood, or fibers of cotton rayon, animal hair, mineral wool, glass, etc., may be used, the fibers preferably being provided in short lengths. An unwoven relation of the fibers is desirable in order that fraying at the margins of the heel is avoided. An independent relation of the fibers or other particles makes possible their complete removal upon trimming and bufling the margins of the heel lift, and in some cases the fibers may be even lightly matted together in a felt without defeating this result.

Referring to the drawing, showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention, the numeral H3 designates a heel block of wood having a covering ll of cloth or other sheet material applied thereto over its rear, side, and breast surfaces. The covering is turned inwardly over the tread face of the heel block, as at I2. A heel lift it of rubber or other mbber-like composition is attached to the heel block by nails l5, the heads of which impinge against a metal plate 46 embedded in and bonded to the attaching face of the lift. The metal plate is of less area than the lift to provide for bufiing or trimming the lift to the shape and dimensions of the heel block without exposing the metal to sight, thereby providing a border 20 or rubber material extending beyond the metal which border is capable of distortion under load.

To the end of minimizing the effects of spreading and contractive movements of the rubber border in contact with the inturned margins of the heel block covering, .a layer 2| of independent particles of material is applied to the attaching face of the heel lift, as by a coating 22 of rubber cement applied thereto. A suitable coating for this purpose is provided, for example,

by applying a flock material to the cemented face of the lift, but particles of other materials may be used, as hereinabove explained. I

In use of the heel lift, the layer of soft fibrous material not only provides a cushioning of the inwardly turned margins of the heel block cover-' ing, but this layer has the advantage also 'of minimizing rubbing action against the heel covering' as a result of the individual mobility of its fibers.

In preparing the heel lift of the invention, the rubber lift is molded against andbonded to the metal layer. After vulcanization of the lift, the attaching surface of the lift is coated with rubber cement or other resilient adhesive and the layer of fibers or other particles is applied thereto, preferably by dusting with flock fiber. In applying the finished lift to the heel block, preferably no cement is used but the heel is attached by nails driven through the heel against the metal layer, although if desired some cement may be applied to the face of the heel block, or covering thereon, prior to the application of the heel lift. After the lift is nailed, the edges may be trimmed or buffed flush with the heel block margins, and surplus particles at such margins may be buffed away cleanly without leaving unsightly ravellings or frayings.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A'heel lift comprising a body of resilient rubber-like material, a plate of sheet metal smaller in'area than the attaching face of the lift and secured to said body centrally thereof, and a layer of particles of fibrous material adhered to the attaching face of the lift at least upon the marginal portions adjacent said plate of sheet metal. 2. A heel construction comprising a heel body, a flexible covering therefor, a heel lift of rubberlike material secured to said body and having a sheet metal reinforcement of less area than the attaching face of said lift bonded to said face centrally thereof, and a layer of particles of material interposed between the attaching face of said heel lift and the covering of said body and adhered to said face.

3. A heel construction as defined in claim 2 in which said particles are soft fibers.

' RAYMOND P. ALLEN. 

